A Sunday in Bethlehem

mosaic in Church of the Nativity

We started this Sunday morning at the Church of the Nativity, in Bethlehem. This is the supposed site of Jesus' birth. We went on a tour through the church - still quite ornate for my Protestant upbringing, but not quite as overwhelming as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. We saw some beautiful mosaics from the fourth century, the Grotto of the Nativity (where ♪ they laid him in a manger ♪), and bullet marks left over from the 2002 seige, when Israeli Defence Forces occupied Bethlehem and tried to get at Palestinians - militant and not - staying inside the church.

bullet marks on Church of the Nativity

We worshipped that morning at St. Catherine's Franciscan Church. It was all in Arabic, so was a bit hard to follow... but they did sing one song that I recognized - Here I Am, Lord - so I sang along in English. The church was packed that morning, and I found myself reflecting on what it must be like to minister to people who live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. 60 Minutes profiled Christians in the Holy Land in April earlier this year, and featured St. Catherine's Church. Their report is well worth the 14 minutes and 4 seconds of your time. (St. Catherine's starts at about the 1:40 mark.)

We had a picnic lunch outside the church, and then had some time to wander. We found a beautiful olive wood carving shop and I bought a nativity set (appropriate, no?). They were also selling sets that came with the wall... Were the magi to try to get to Jesus in Bethlehem today, the wall would block their way. The owner of the shop took us back to show us the workshop where the eight carvers he employs work. At a second carving shop, the owner let us go on to the roof of the building and we had a beautiful view of the surrounding area. We then walked through the lovely Milk Grotto Church, though no one in our little group chose to put the fertility legend to the test (just so you know).

nativity scene with the wall

woodcarvers

the view from a Bethlehem roof

roadblock on the way to Tent of Nations

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Tent of Nations, just outside of Bethlehem. Our bus couldn't take us all the way there because of a road block that had been set up to restrict movement. Once we arrived, Cathy Nichols, from the United Church of Christ in the U.S., spoke to us about advocacy and how to talk about what we had seen in the area once we returned home. She had some good illustrations for conceptualizing the conflict: for example, thinking about those who want peace and those who don't (as opposed to other categories we usually apply to those living in the area).

We then heard from Daoud Nassar, the owner of Tent of Nations. Daoud told us the history of his family and their land, and about being part of the Christian minority in the region. He described the countless court cases he has been through in trying to maintain ownership of his land and prevent demolitions. He has not been able to get building permits, so cannot build anything, or have running water (while nearby settlers have swimming pools...) or electricity. He told us of violence by the settlers from the five surrounding settlements, and of the effect the road block (that we crossed earlier) has had in cutting off his farm from Bethlehem. I would encourage you to read his family's story - it is a good representation of many of the issues facing Palestinians, particularly around building permits and encroaching settlements.

Daoud refuses to leave, refuses to hate, and refuses to be a victim. As the sign says when you enter the Tent of Nations, "We refuse to be enemies." He faces his situation with positive, creative action. He drew on his Christian faith for this strength - "Jesus didn't say blessed are the peacetalkers," he told us. Action must occur. Tent of Nations have various programs that work on peacebuilding - summer camps for children of all three major faiths in the area, programs for women, tree-planting projects, and events for almond/grape/olive harvests to bring people together. The Tent of Nations also hosts international volunteers on its farmland - this shows solidarity, but also educates. He encouraged those Christians who make pilgrimages to the Holy Land not only to "come and see," as the Kairos Palestine document encouraged, but then to "go and tell."

I was amazed, that afternoon, of the willingness of Cathy and Daoud to confront injustice. I am very hesitant with confrontation, and it was so powerful to see these people standing up to the oppressor. "They are very brave," I wrote in my journal that evening.

On the way back to our bus, we saw a car drive someone to the roadblock, drop the person off, and then another car picked the person up on the other side of the roadblock. This is daily life for Palestinians - so many barriers - and yet they continue to live there. Going about one's daily lives - insisting on living, working, going to school, visiting with each other - is in itself an act of creative resistance to the occupation.

Photo: Tent of Nations